This craft is a particular favorite – mostly because it’s so straightforward and requires very little instruction.  Seriously, just look at the illustration and the steps become clear. The only real limitation is imagination!

Things you’ll need:

• 1 large roll of brown paper. The number of children you’re working with will determine how many rolls you’ll need.
• Washable Paint for kids
• Paint tape to hold the paper down securely
• Art smocks or art bibs for the kids.An old adult t-shirt or button down will work just fine.
• A bowl for the water, and napkins to wipe off the paint brushes.
• Large paint brushes

First, hop on Google and download a cartoon scarecrow to print out for inspiration! It really helps with the setup and gives the children a vision of where they were headed.

Spread a length of brown paper on the floor and tape the edges to the floor so the paper won’t move. Be prepared for the children to become quite enthusiastic at this point!

Next, have a child lay down on the floor and trace their body outline in pencil then go back over it in marker. If you want to make a “nameplate” at the top, do it in pencil first also, followed by marker. Otherwise, mistakes are bound to happen.

Next, draw on overalls, face, hair, hat, and shirt with the black marker. When that’s done, the kids will be pretty excited to start painting.

As the kids paint, guide them with colors and painting in some areas but, in other areas, let them free paint and be creative. The great thing is that, afterwards, they will want to show everyone what they did all by themselves.